Gas seal panels are generally configured to supply clean dry seal buffer gas to shaft seals of rotating compressors and turbo machinery. A gas seal panel may generally include a plurality of pressure/flow control valves, filters, and various instruments to condition, control, and monitor the gas into and out of the dry gas seals. Arranging all of the gas seal panel components in one location near the compressor or turbo machinery package simplifies the mechanical construction, process piping, and electrical installation of the gas seal panel.
Supplying clean dry gas to the gas seal panel is a challenge facing numerous industries that employ compressed gas technology. One current method for supplying clean dry gas to a gas seal panels and the associated gas seals is to utilize cryogenic expanders to remove condensates from the supply gas stream, however, cryogenic expanders require extremely low temperatures to operate effectively, which presents both cost and technical challenges to effective long term operation. Another method for cleaning a gas supply is to use gravity separators, however gravity separators are very slow and do not provide a high level of condensate removal from a gas stream. Still other methods for cleaning and drying gas supplies include use of scrubber vessels and a vane pack, an axial flow cyclone, or a bank of cartridge filters.
However, each of these conventional gas cleaning systems have inherent disadvantages. For example, each of the above noted systems requires substantial space and regular maintenance. Additionally, although each of the above noted conventional systems operates to remove moisture from the gas stream, none of these systems generally provide an impressive removal or separation efficiency, without incurring substantial space considerations.
Therefore, there is a need for an efficient, compact, and cost effective system and method for supplying clean dry gas to gas seal buffer supply lines.